Had my second experience with Gateway Marina, and won't be going back. For the second time this summer, I called last minute (day of) and Gateway had a pontoon available for rent. Now I feel like I know why. The owner sounds stand-offish on the phone, but my first time through was fine, so I was a repeat customer today. I rented a pontoon with my wife and my 5 kids: we don't own a boat, so when we rent we make a full day of it, on the lake the whole allotted time, tubing, etc. Half way through our day, the tube ripped apart when I accelerated the pontoon: not violently (it's a pontoon after all). When I called for a replacement tube, the owner did supply one. We finished our day on the lake. At the end of the day as I was paying for fuel, the owner says "what are we going to do about the tube?". I expected this of course, as it did break on my watch. I tried to have a conversation with the owner about it, feeling like there could have been something defective about the tube. He wasn't willing to have a reasonable discussion about it, as he quickly accused me of mistreating his equipment. He then said several times in an accusatory tone "you really worked that boat hard all day" as he knows that I filled it with gas midday, as if i should've been treating it gingerly. He then said "our preferred customers come and have a leisurely day on the water and don't put the kind of wear and tear on it". I have 5 kids: i certainly am not in the stereotypical group of rowdy teens, or drunk 20-somethings category. Yes we drove the boat most of the 8 hours of the rental, as my kids love tubing, but I wouldn't consider that "wear and tear", and certainly nothing extreme at all. He then said, "fine don't pay for the tube but you're not welcome to come back".
All I could think was "I gave this business $880 this summer VERY last minute (meaning they would have gotten $0, as they wouldn't have rented the boat at all had I not called) and they are willing to throw that away over a $140 tube (which I would have paid for had we had a reasonable discussion about it)" Confrontational guy who doesn't work with his customers to meet them half way....or at all! I expect Gateway won't be around long with their customer service skills. read more